Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-02-06
CRUISER NO. :.

CRUISER No. 2.
Werk 81 Csustruction Already
Progressing.
The first work to be done in the con.
struction of the steel cruiser Charleston,
of 1000 tons displacement, is to correct
the drawings and render them perfect 10
every detail, SO that no fundamental
mistake shall be made. Tne necessity
for careful revision and the closest cal
culations in this regard are paramount.
This ia t, be done under the supervision
of F. L. Ferneld, Inspector OF Hulls and
Assistant Naval Constructor. The
engines are 10 be examined in every
respect by an engineer yet to be ap-
pointed. Every piece of material going
into the ship IL to be inspected BY an
officer of the government and be subject
to his approval. Perhaps 1t would De
wiser for the government In making con.
tracts to exact . general standard OF .
strength and dimensions and capacity OF
engines for propulsion, but the policy
adopted by naval boards of architecture
in leading nations holds strictly to q
close government inspection as work
progresses. To these conditions the
Union Iron Works cheerfully subscribes
and will make an effort to produce the
very best results possible.
The preliminary work Of construction
is in motion already, and Irvidg M.
Scott il taking an active interest in
pushing it forward. He is confident
chat the plant in San Francisco Is better
equipped by all odds than any other
shipyard in the United States, and refers
with evident satisfaction to the fact that
the committee appointed to examine all
the yards 90 reported to the Navy
Department. It is source OF
regret to Mr.. Scott that he could not
build the cruiser entirely with labor
and material OF the United States,
without going to foreign country for
anything necessary for perfect con.
struction. He exhausted the ship. build
ing resources of the United States to get
the shafts of the strength and gravity of
steel desired, but was not successful in
securing q contract. Therefore he de.
cides to go to the Krupp Steel Works of
Essen, Germany. A review of some
standard books concerning navel archi-
lecture of modern times, and capacity of
various nations for producing heavy ar
manents and machinery of greatest
power, shows that in 1856 Krupp had
facilities for producing steel ingots
weighing forty-five tons each. The
same can be done by Schneider, and ex.
tremely heavy ingots can be made at
the Russian Imperial Works. The de-
velopment by Russia in this respect is
very rapid. It is difficult to obtain
reliable statistics from that country, but
her scientific men are in the front rank
of the age and the Empire spares no
expense for war equipment. The natural
resources of the country for supplying
iron are inexhaustible. and the progress
made in producing heavy ordnance
during the past six years leads to the
belief that the Imperial works At Perm
are the best equipped in the world.
Large ingots are also produced at Fink's
and Vickers' works in Sheffield.
The keel of the Charleston is to be of
steel and the ram and rudder.frame of
cast-steel. The bars for angles 7 and z
will be made by the Pacific Rolling
Mills Of this city, and will be inspected
as the work progresses. The plates for
the shell of the ship will come from the
Homestead Mills of Pittsburg. The
masts and rigging are generally furnished
by the government, and, Of course the
armament comes from the Ordnance
Department,
The construction of the vessel will,
in Mr.. Scott's judgment, render it neses-
sary to. increase the force at the iron
works to 1900 men, but all the skilled
labor required is available in the ranks
of the present employees, SO there will be
no necessity of engaging men from East
eru or foreign cities for any particular
branch of the work.
The expression of good will between
employer and employees manifested since
Mr.. SCOTS return from Washington is
regarded as happy incident or event
in the beginning of work that may ul-
timstely place San Francisco among the
foremost ship.building stations of the
world. The men seem to enter into the
spirit of doing piece of work that will
not only reflect credit ON themselves but
do honor to the country.
The speed that the Charleston may
attain is not o condition of contract.
The department has abandoned the poll.
cy of requiring vessel to make SO many
knots an hour in smooth water and
maintain certain speed in rough water.
1t was found after experience that ships
could make with engines below the
standard of horse. power speed greater
thandemanded. It is maxim with build
ers that speed is at the expense of car
rying capacity and carrying capacity at
the expenseof speed. The department
deems it best, ON the advice of the off,
GERS of the navy, to require a certain
standard of power in accordance with
the dimensions of the ship. 1t may be
safely said that the unarmored cruiser
Charleston. of dimensions prescribed,
with engines of 7,O00.horse. power of the
highest standard, will 60 fast enough if
the captain of the craft wants to use
fuel enough to get the highest speed
possible. However, speed is q great OBJ.
ject to be obtained, and is an element in
the construction of war vessels at this
time by foreign nations. Italy is well
equipped for offensive and defensive
movements at sea. In the attainment
of speed in ships she has taken the lead
of all nations. The largest of her war
ships are the Lepanto and the Italia,
each Of $4,000. horse power and 1900
tons displacement. The Lepanto car
ries four l00-ton guns and is
armored with plates nineteen inches
thick. A cruiser, the Giovanni Bausan.
modelled after the Chilean Esmerelda.
but more powerful. was launched in
England in 1855, for the Italian Navy.
The hulls of the great iron.clad have all
been laid in Italy, and the work is done,
as far as possible. by Italian labor-a
condition stipulated in contracts given
out abroad, as to Schneider for armor
and to Armstrong for guns.
The English Government recently
recently adopted the plan of Establish.
ing a maximum size of 10000 tons dis.
placement in the future construction of
war.ships. 1t is presumed that horse